Hand Weaving - Hand Loom

All of our Hand Woven blankets are created by Master Artisans in Zanzibar. 

THE TECHNIQUE:
To create our beautiful hand woven Kikoi Blankets, the weavers begin with locally sourced, Tanzanian cotton yarn. This cotton yarn is hand dyed in small patches to ensure that colors are as consistent and of as a high a quality as possible. A natural cotton warp is set on the hand loom, which is a large floor based loom that uses that weavers own strength and physicality to create the weave. The colored yarn is then passed through the warp line by line, creating the beautiful designs and abrash that you see in our blankets. Traditionally kikoi was done in a smaller size and worn as a piece of clothing throughout Eastern Africa. We have adapted this and created our blankets in a stunning 6x8 ft size perfect for your home.

OUR PARTNER:

Our partner in Zanzibar is a non-profit working with over 200 local artisan men and women to create new opportunities for job creation and economic development. These jobs not only preserve culturally important artistic traditions but also prevent artisans from having to cut and sell scarce firewood as a source of income. Honoring both the traditional crafts they practice and their land, they use both solar cookers and energy saving stoves in their production and dying processes. 

THE COUNTRY:
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous state consisting of an archipelago situated in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Tanzania. Long romanticized as a center of the spice trade, Zanzibar is home to a rich mix of both Swahili and Islamic traditions. It is an awe-inspiring place with long beaches, rich history and stunning architecture, however, it is still one of the poorest regions in the world with only an estimated 11% of it's rural population having access to electricity (according to the African Development Bank).